Human–Robot Interaction: Successes, Hurdles, and Remaining Challenges [Opinion]

The past decades have seen an increasing number of robots deployed in the vicinity of humans, from vacuum cleaners roaming our living rooms and drones flying overhead to prostheses attached to our bodies. Today, global efforts are focused on designing the next generation of robots, which will be deployed and function in close proximity to or directly interact with lay users. We are no longer in the realm of factory robots used by well-trained practitioners. It is, hence, not conceivable that these robots can be programmed without a deep understanding of the social, ethical, and cultural rules that underpin human environments. Developing robots that are cognizant of the world that surrounds them has led to a wide range of efforts worldwide, all of which fall under the general field of human–robot interaction (HRI).

We advocate for a research road map for HRI over the next two decades toward the development of robot systems that are capable of interacting with humans in a pertinent and helpful manner in any kind of environment.